Jack Amell: Hero of Ferelden
by abxher
Summary: Jack Amell's story from mage apprentice to Hero of Ferelden
1. Chapter 1

** Chapter 1: Prologue.**

Jack's mind was shrouded in a haze left behind by the alcohol he had drank earlier and yet through the haze the piercing, shrilling cries of the young girl still echoed loud throughout his brain. He gritted his teeth trying for the umpteenth time to forget about her, the whole incident, but to no avail. What ate at his conscious most was the guilt he felt. It was not his fault what happened to that poor girl but neither had he did anything help her.

He had been all alone in a two roomed hall on the tower's top floor. Apprentices like him were not allowed on this floor, the templars themselves hardly ever came up there and this was reason enough for Jack to go there. That night he had been having some trouble sleeping and so he had snuck up there for his favorite pastime. He sat on the window's ledge gazing out. The sky was clear and the stars shined brightly, their light reflecting from the water in the lake surrounding the lake. From what he could see the tower's reflection in the lake glowed like a diamond having an aura of silver starlight light around it. Like countless times before Jack was awed by the beauty of the scenario that laid out before him. The outside world which he had been rejected was more beautiful than he could ever imagine and right now with every fiber of his being he wished that he could break free of the chantry's dominion over him.

Thuds of footsteps, rattle of heavy armor and a sharp cry of pain instantly brought jack back to reality from his dreams.

"Oh shit," Jack cursed. He knew the templars were here and if they caught him then...well there was no telling what they would do to him. Being Irving's favorite pupil had helped him get through most of encounters with templars unscathed but the First Enchanter had left the tower for a few days and so had Knight-Commander Greagoir. The absence of both the authority figures had made the junior templars braver. They openly beat any mage who they took a dislike to and the mages who took a stance against their bulling were taken down to the dungeons for extra "punishments".

Quickly Jack dashed across the hall, went through the door and closed it behind him. The room he was in now was barely bigger than a broom closet. He stood with his back hugging the wall. His heart was still pacing. The room he was trapped in had no other exits if the templars came here he would not be able to escape. He was a sitting duck in that small room all the templars had to do was open the door and claim their prize.

After a few moments of silence which felt like an eternity to Jack the door of the hall he just vacated banged open. Jack knew that his capture was both inevitable and immanent. He waited for them to come to his little room and nab him but from what he heard it seemed like they had already brought someone along to toy with.

Jack pressed his ear to the door and listened carefully.

Rattle of armor and a girl's crying was the first few things he registered and then a commanding voice utterly drenched in malice boomed out.

" You two sodding imbeciles! Make that little whore shut up. Gag her or better yet just cut her tongue off."

"Yer right away boss," replied a man with a squeaky voice.

"No stay away from me you mons-," the girl ended up choking mid sentence, she had been gagged summarized Jack.

"Are we sure about this?," came a third masculine voice. This one sounded apprehensive.

The first man who seemed to be their leader replied " Listen carefully you turd Greagoir and Irving are both gone for at least week. We three are gonna leave for Orlais at the first sight of dawn and this little piece of mage filth...well she was brought to the circle just today, no one even knows about her so no one's gonna give a damn if she disappears. So what do you say why don't we make our last night in Ferelden memorable?"

A shiver ran down Jack's spine he had finally realized where this all was going. The utter malice and venom in the man's voice had left no doubt in him, the girl was about to get raped.

Jack stood there with beads of sweat suddenly appearing on his forehead. The muffled screams of the young girl told him that it had already begun. He creaked open the door and from what he saw he quickly tore his eyes from. His own breathing grew jagged, his mind and heart repeatedly begged him to do something yet his body stood rooted to the same spot.

There are three templars outside they will easily disrupt your magic if you try to do something, The girl is already done for don't get yourself killed for her, even if you kill theses templars for her the others in the tower would kill you instantly they would never believe a word you say. A tiny voice in his mind came up with all the logical reasons to not do anything for the girl. Jack listened to all of them intently and to his own shame he agreed with the voice on everyone of them.

A single shriek then tore out the night which drove Jack to his knees. The gag had fallen out of the girls mouth and now she shrieked freely. The templars shouted and laughed all the while like mad barking dogs. The shouts of insane perverted pleasure and the screams of horror pounded away at Jack's brain. He covered both his ears and yet all the noises magnified tenfold in his brain.

Jack crawled over to the corner put his heads in between his knees and waited for it to be over and cried for his own cowardice.

" Slit her throat and then toss her out the window into the lake, it still dark out there no one would notice"

What? No no no you don't have to kill her just leave her be Jack pleaded.

Sound of a sword being unsheathed, footsteps and then a gurgle of blood was what Jack heard. This time round there had been no protest from the girl.

"Let's leave".

When Jack came out no one was there, just a small pool of blood.

It had been a fortnight since then. Jack hadn't told anyone about the incident. The criminals were long gone and the only victim was dead because of his cowardice. All he did now was wallow in his own misery.

"There you are, I have been looking all over for you," said a voice.

Jack turned his head to the right and saw a blurry vision of his friend Jowan.

"Maker's breath you are drunk again," exclaimed Jowan.

"No I'm not," mumbled Jack as he gingerly tried to stand up. Jowan helped his friend up and guided him to the apprentices quarters.

"Well you better lie down, I think you have had enough fun for one day," said Jowan disapprovingly.

"It would be so awesome if you were a woman with a nice ass Jowan," and with that Jack fell on his bed and instantly dozed off.

What felt like only a few minutes later Jack was awakened by a couple of templars.

" What do you want?" Jack asked through gritted teeth in a steely tone.

"It's time for your hollowing," whispered the younger templar.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Lesson Learnt**

"Hey have you got a few minutes?" asked Jowan tentatively.

"No," replied Jack curtly and started to walk away from his friend.

"Hey this is really important"

" To you, surely must be, to me, on the other hand, probably not," said Jack as he quickened his pace but Jowan was not giving up so easily.

"Oh yes now the big all powerful mage has no time for his old childhood apprentice friend," said Jowan  
in a mockingly hurt tone.

"Look I'm sure they are going to summon you for your hollowing any day now, now that I've been through it," said Jack in a tired tone, as though he had been repeating this to his best friend for the whole day.

"Can we please at least talk about it somewhere private?"

The tone of his voice made Jack stop dead in his tracks. He turned and looked into his friend's eyes and realized there was genuine anguish in them. He nodded, and Jowan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Follow me," said Jowan, "Oh, by the way, who was that man you just escorted to the guest quarters?"

" A senile old bugger from an old order about which people younger than 200 years don't give a rat's fart,"

Jowan gave him a puzzled look which made Jack roll his eyes rather dramatically and say:

" He was a grey warden, you twat"

"Oh, what was he doing here?"

"Trying to recruit some mages for some war too way down south in Ferelden for me to give a damn about," Jack said dryly.

"You know it amazes me that a mean drunk who's got his head up his own ass set the quickest record time for the hallowing in the history of this circle," remarked Jowan.

"I'll take that as a compliment now shut up and lead on"

The rest of the walk the friends shared in silence. Jowan was lost in his own thoughts, smiling to himself and Jack however, was far more troubled then he let on. He always wore a mask of indifference whenever he was with other people even when he was with his best and only friend Jowan. The ordeal of the harrowing, facing a powerful demon in the fade had for a little while took his mind of the dead girl but every now and then his mind would play back the event in front of his eyes as a testament of his cowardice.

"Hey hey we are here," said Jowan as he grabbed Jack's shoulders and gave him a jerk to bring him back to his senses.

Startled Jack looked around and found himself in the tower's chapel. Lost in his horrible memories Jack had completely lost track of where he was going, he had just followed Jowan instinctively to a place in the tower where he had hardly been 5 or 6 times during his whole lifetime.

His lips curled and frowns appeared on his forehead, right now he hated everything the chantry stood for and taught. He had never been a firm believer in the existence of some supreme being, and he out rightly rejected the chantry's version of it, i.e. The Maker.  
As for Andraste...well from all the statues he had seen of her in the tower she had a nice bust, so he never complained about her.

Speaking of nice tits the ones hovering to Jowan's right weren't too shabby at all.

"Ahem ahem," coughed Jowan to get his friend's attention, which was proving to be difficult neither Jowan greatly appreciated where his best friend's eyes lingered.

"Yes Jowan?" Jack finally replied breaking off his fixation.

" You do remember why we came here, Jack, don't you?" Jowan asked with all the acid sweetness he could muster in his voice.

"Errrr...you wanted to talk somewhere out of earshot about some importance stuff,"

"Yes I'm genuinely shocked that you remember," and Jowan truly was surprised.

"Well in case you haven't noticed old chap, there is a chantry priest standing right next to us," this time it was Jack's turn to insult his friend sub textually in front of the lady.

"No, no I'm just an initiate," said the young woman. Jack turned to her and finally got a good look at her face. She had a straight nose, big eyes and elegant hair that neatly fell on her shoulders. Suddenly now the chantry wasn't looking all that bad to Jack.

"We can trust Lily, Jack, in fact, what I've to say concerns her as well. She wouldn't do anything to harm us," assured Jowan.

Really, a chantry priest, initiate or whatever wouldn't rat us out Jack thought. Now he was really intrigued by this whole situation. He arched his eyebrow at his friend signalling him to explain.

"Well...you remember that some time ago that I told you I met a girl. Well here she is, Lily," mumbled out Jowan, as though he was introducing his girlfriend to his overly strict father.

Lily flashed a quick sweet smile to Jack which he didn't reciprocate to in any way. He was far too busy putting the two and two together of another puzzle that had been nagging him for ages now.

"Is this the woman you have been fooling around with and by fooling around I mean having sex with when you disappear at night?" Jack asked his friend.

Lily blushed intensely and started gazing at her feet with a new found fervour. Jowan's mouth hung open at his friend's brashness and the words that came out of it were not coherent at all.

"Save it, I have my answer," Jack said shortly.

Jowan has been having fun while I've been dreaming about rapist Templars and fade demons at nights. Jack thought bitterly.

"Stop gawking like a fool and tell me why did you need me," Jack asked sourly. Now his mood was really foul.

"I need your help in escaping from the circle with Lily,"

"May I ask what prompted you to make such a decision? You have been content all your life with living in the circle so what changed?" Jack inquired as though he was asking about the weather. He had been totally taken off-guard by Jowan's revelation, but nevertheless, he kept his poker face on.

"They are going to make Jowan a tranquil. I heard Knight- Commander Greagoir speaking about it," Lily said with her voice trembling.

"Well then sweetheart your boyfriend must have done something naughty," said Jack looking intently into Jowan's eyes.

"No I did not, someone must have seen me sneaking around at night when I was going to meet Lily and reported me to the Templars, and now they are accusing me of practising blood magic. They are going to make me tranquil based on a false accusation with no proof at all. Those self-righteous bastards just need an excuse to torture mages,".

Jowan was positively fuming by the end of his little speech.

"Ok, ok, ok, jeez Jowan you sure got riled up easily," said Jack

"So you are going to help us then," Lily exclaimed happily.

"Hey hey I never said anything like that...just give me some time to think about it huh?" Jack hurriedly replied.

Jowan glowered at him." Look I came to ask help from you because you are the only true friend I've had all my life. The time for you to make the decision is now either you rat us out, or you help us escape."

Jack stood silent for a couple of moments.

_This is a ridiculously reckless adventure they are embarking upon. The most likely outcome of this  
scheme was death or tranquillity Jack visibly shivered at the mere thought of becoming a tranquil. This was the fate that awaited his childhood friend if he didn't take any action to prevent it, and Jowan needed his help but what if the whole plan went awry? The ramifications for himself would be terrible to say the least. He couldn't help Jowan here; Jowan was already doomed, why doom your own self by helping him? Jack thought._

Suddenly, another voice in his head popped up.

Hadn't his cowardice already cost an innocent young girl unimaginable pain and ultimately, a brutal butchering? Will he not for once in his life nut up instead of taking a coward's way out, not even for the sake of his only friend in the world?

Damn you Jack! When did you ever develop a conscience?

After many moments of silence Jack finally nodded and the two love birds in front of him breathed a sigh of relief.

" So what's the plan for your great escape?" asked Jack.

"Well I've been th..." Jowan was about to reply when Jack interrupted him again.

"Fuck that shit what do you plan to do when you are a free mage?" Jack asked with excitement akin to that of a ten-year-old lad.

"I plan to give up my magic for Lily's sake and live on a farm," was Jowan's dreamy response while ogling Lily who blushed furiously.

Jack just snorted at that statement.

**xxx **

"I can't believe that small vial of blood was keeping me a prisoner here all this time," said Jowan

"Shut up we are not done here yet; we still have to get out," replied Jack tersely.

"Thank you ever so much for helping me, I can never repay you for what you did for Lily and me, you are a true friend"

"I thought I asked you to shut the hell up"

Jowan phylactery had been destroyed, and it had proven to be no menial task. Just breaking into the repository had been extremely difficult. The sentinels they met along the way didn't make their job easier either.

Jack fought them off nearly single handedly. Jowan did pinch in with the occasional helping spell or so, but it was Jack's show throughout. Lily had been a mere spectator, and Jack could easily tell she didn't enjoy the show at all. The magical ability he had displayed had totally unnerved her. She kept glancing at him, as though he would any minute turn into an abomination and kill her.

Jack had been avoiding her, but now it was getting unbearably annoying.

She is displaying the same hypocrisy every one showed around mages. When in need of their spells people would welcome them with open arms but when their needs had been satisfied these same people would start a witch hunt burning every mage they found on a stake.

"You know I won't kill you if you don't give me any reason to do it," said Jack looking directly into lily eyes with a diabolical smile slowly appearing on his face.

"Don't worry sweetheart it's just his way of saying that he likes you"

"No Lily it's not how I tell someone that I like them, for a woman, I normally compliment her on the size of her bus-"

"Look I see the door that leads to the Apprentices quarters," shouted Jowan hurriedly.

"Well let's get out of here immediately I have had enough of this place," said Lily

The three accomplices ran up the stairs, with Jack leading the pack taking two stairs steps beneath his feet with a single long stride. He pushed the heavy door open and what he saw made him stop dead in his tracks.

"Oh Jack how can I ever pay you back for what you did for me here, rest assured, I will forever be grateful to y-"

"Hold those sentiments will you Jowan; It seems we have landed ourselves in a bit of a pickle," Jack's snide voice fell on Jowan ears.

Jowan finally came through the door with Lily following close behind to see his friend in a stand off against 10 or so Templars being headed by Knight-Commander Greagoir and the First Enchanter Irving. Greagoir's face was livid with rage; a vein was throbbing on his forehead with the danger of popping  
any time. Irving, however, simply looked disappointed as though like he had not expected this act of foolishness from his apprentice Jack.

xxx

"What were you doing down there, mage? Don't you know that only Irving and me have the authority to be in the repository?" spat Greagoir. Jack really had no idea how toanswer that question; it was abundantly clear to anybody in the circle as to why an unauthorized mage would go down to the repository instead he counted the number of hostile persons in front of him. They counted up to a number of twelve. He could hope to overthrow two Templars with Jowan by his side but twelve were just too much.

"Well, what were you doing down there?"shouted Greagoir."SHUT UP, old man we both know what I was doing down there,"Jack shouted back more irritated at the situation he had landed himself into than from anger. As soon as his words were out of his mouth, he began to regret saying them. Greagoir's face turned to stone with lines carved in it that radiated anger  
and Irving just let out a weary disappointed sigh as though Jack had landed the final nail in his own coffin, which Jack was pretty much sure that he did.

"I will have the both of you executed for your crimes," said Greagoir."  
Now, now let's not be hasty and we also cannot simply cannot ignore the part the Chantry's initiate played in this," wheezed out Irving.  
"I know that, Irving, after I deal with these two. I'll send the girl to Aeonar where she will be kept prisoner in the harshest conditions possible," Greagoir roared back at Irving.

"NO! I would not let you touch her," these were the first words Jowan had said throughout this whole confrontation. After that what transpired was pure chaos. Jowan ran past Jack pointed his staff at the three Templars nearby and casted flame blast on them. The fire out of the end Jowan staff burned bright and yellow as it engulfed the Templars, who screamed in agony.

_Andraste's tits, Jowan you sodding imbecile, what did you just do? You just wrote our own death sentence, you stupid oaf.  
But isn't death inevitable for us in this scenario? The only choice it seems I have been left is the manner in  
which I die, whether I go down fighting or cowering?_

Jack only had a few moments to process all these thoughts as he saw four more Templars shouting battle cries, pounding their shields with the pommel of their swords charge towards Jowan, his friend.

He made up his mind. In his veins blood felt like hot lyrium running wild in them; he could feel the mana rising up through his spine sending Goosebumps throughout his body as he strode past Jowan. Channelling all his magical energy from his body into his staff, he pointed his staff at the onslaught of the charging Templars and unleashed a cone of cold on them.

His ice spell froze the Templars in their running positions. Without giving it much thought Jack followed his ice spell with lightning crackling out of the tip of his staff.

What happened right after Jack truly was not ready for. The two frozen bodies of the Templars that were the closest to Jack met the full wrath of his thunder spell.

One second their bodies were whole and the next they burst apart with the sound of a glass shattering echoing out across the hall.

With one moment where he had let his anger guide his spells Jack had murdered two men.

Knight-Commander Greagoir howled with anger, and the rest of his men sprinted towards Jack while First Enchanter Irving just stood there with a dumbfounded expression on his face. Jack, with beads of cold sweat trickling down his forehead, readied himself for the remaining templar's final  
assault. Jowan gripped his staff tightly and pointed it towards the Templars as he stood by Jack's side waiting.

Another cry joined the battle cries of the Templars that were echoing out across the hall. This one was far fiercer than the rest of them, and it sent chills down Jack's spine. He turned his head to see Duncan, the grey warden, running at them from across the hall. Jack turned to deal with Duncan while Jowan held his position facing the charging Templars.

Duncan was on Jack faster than Jack could have ever anticipated. Duncan closed the remaining distance between him and Jack with the single leap as he brought both his swords down upon Jack from over his head. Jack just had enough time to lift his iron staff up horizontally by its ends with both his hands and block Duncan's daggers before they met his flesh. Instantly, and instinctively he let go of his staff from one end and with his other hand holding the other end of his staff, he whirled it at Duncan.  
The masthead of his staff hit Duncan right on his temple with a sound that made even Jack cringe, Duncan, however, simply was knocked out cold.

_By the Divine's saggy old jugs, I am GOOD at this fighting stuff._

" There are too many of them, I'm sorry, but I have to do this,"

Jack turned just in time to see Jowan take out a dagger from the folds of his robes and slid it across his forearm. A host of strange beautiful voices invaded Jack's brain; the veil between the fade and the real world had begun to get thin as Jowan used his blood to fuel his spell.

Jowan unleashed his blood magic, and it took Jack in its fold too. Jack lost all his senses and unimaginable weariness engulfed his mind. In his mind, he heard a muffled terrified scream of a woman before he fell to the ground unconscious.

**xxx **


End file.
